Blueberries

Nancy Carter
Nancy Carter Posts: 202 ✭✭✭
edited November 2020 in Fruit

Looking forward to harvesting these lovely blueberries!

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Comments

  • haskell3984
    haskell3984 Posts: 6 ✭✭✭

    I so here you also can't wait for my blueberries to ripen

  • COWLOVINGIRL
    COWLOVINGIRL Posts: 954 ✭✭✭✭

    Mine are just starting to turn purple!

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wonderful! You are very fortunate.

    After three years of waiting, my blueberries still aren't producing any fruit to speak of. Oh, well.

  • Noel Davey
    Noel Davey Posts: 30 ✭✭✭

    They look wonderful, is it difficult to grow them in a pot?

    Is there any steps to make them fruit like the pics above ?

  • Nancy Carter
    Nancy Carter Posts: 202 ✭✭✭

    I have not grown any in a pot. Mine are in the ground. I am interested in learning more about growing blueberries in a pot!

  • Nancy Carter
    Nancy Carter Posts: 202 ✭✭✭

    I forgot to mention I planted my blueberries about 5 years ago.

  • haskell3984
    haskell3984 Posts: 6 ✭✭✭

    Hello everyone I grow my blueberries in big pots because I live in a very wooded area and I like to be able to move them around in the Sun it is not difficult I plant them basically the same way you would in the ground water them make sure they have good drainage and try to make sure they have decent sunlight throughout the day. They're just starting to turn purple now😊

  • maimover
    maimover Posts: 359 ✭✭✭

    @Noel Davey this year I purchased 5 each blueberry , blackberry, and raspberry bushes. I asked and they said they would be good in the pots for a couple of years. Not sure if I’ll be moving and want to have the ability to take them with me. The blues are producing and since they weren’t planted we can eat the fruit this year yay!

  • dipat2005
    dipat2005 Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I was lucky to buy a home with two blueberry bushes in the backyard. The first year the blue berries were very small. Over the years I mulched with cedar needles, watered and they became larger. My grandchildren enjoyed being able to pick the blueberries and eat them off the vine. I enjoyed them in smoothies. My favorite blueberry farm here in Oregon won't start picking until after July 4th. I can't wait!

  • dottile46
    dottile46 Posts: 437 ✭✭✭

    I planted 2 blueberry plants this spring and there aren't doing squat. It's as if they haven't grown any. They're in the orchard and so tiny we put tomato cages around them so we can spot them easily when mowing. Not that expected them to reach mature height the first year in the ground, but dang, at least grow an inch. Maybe I should have planted them in pots @maimover ?

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    We accidentally mowed one of our small blueberry plants early last year. It survived, but its growth was set back about a year compared with the blueberries that weren't mowed.

    Now I try to put enough pine needles around each blueberry to make it more visible.

    Even after three years, our tallest blueberry is maybe six inches high. I expected these would grow tall much more rapidly than they have. I even purchased "jumbo" blueberries in the second round of planting to try to get bigger plants sooner, but it made little difference.

    There is a lot of shade in my yard from tall trees, so that could be part of the problem.

  • maimover
    maimover Posts: 359 ✭✭✭

    @dipat2005 yes! My grands come to me on Monday’s; they (except the little guy) call it mom mom Monday 😊 the first berries I saved for them to pick

    @dottile46 I just left them in the pits they came in; they nursery said they’d be fine for a couple years in the pot although the plan is to plant them next spring. Either here or wherever I get to, lol; those babies are coming with me. But the planting directions they gave included sand and peat moss with the soil. I don’t have a clue what I’m talking about, have never grown any blue berries before, only strawberries, and aren’t sure of the ratios but feel pretty certain there was quite a bit of sand. Whenever I’m m planting something new that I’m pretty clueless about I google, find some videos, watch a few, refer to any materials from TGN or other “healthy” sites, and try to make the best decision for my conditions. I wouldn’t give up hope on them; just maybe try to give them something they may be lacking? Not sure where you are either but the weather has been really screwy...

  • seeker.nancy - Central Texas
    seeker.nancy - Central Texas Posts: 795 ✭✭✭✭

    I hope to try them in the ground here, but haven't yet. I did grow some in pots about ten years ago but I didn't know what I was doing so I only got about half a dozen blueberries lol. Maybe I should consider pots though as my soil is a very dense clay - alkaline. That being said my roses are doing good so like usual, I won't know what I'm going to do until I do it 🤣

  • blevinandwomba
    blevinandwomba Posts: 813 ✭✭✭✭

    We planted ours 11 years ago, I think. They had some set backs from having to be transplanted from a bad location, and being eaten down by rabbits. They've only produced significantly for a couple of years now. It sounds like blueberries take a while to reach their peak.

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I love blueberries, and they are so good for you! Lots of health benefits to them.


  • John
    John Posts: 163 ✭✭✭

    I love blueberries too-think they are yummy! Thinking about growing a plot. Any ideas on size of area for a newbie to planting blueberries?

  • sarah785
    sarah785 Posts: 10 ✭✭✭

    In Ireland, where I'm from and in other parts of Europe we have bilberries at this time of year. They grow wild in acidic soil. They are similar to cultivated blueberries but have a more intense flavour and higher antioxidant levels. We pick them and freeze them so that we have a supply through the autumn and winter.


  • Leediafastje
    Leediafastje Posts: 97 ✭✭✭

    I've lined the front driveway with 10 blueberry plants which are forming a hedge. It is wonderful when they are ready for harvest.

    VermontCathy You may either have a lack of sun or lack of prunning problem. Or, you may need to try a different variety of blueberry. Toro works really good in my wet, cold climate.

    @sarah785 I've never heard of bilberries until now. I hope to find that they'll grow here too. Thank you.


  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @Leediafastje Bilberry is one of the blueberry species we have here. Vaccinium myrtillis. Its not as common as some of the other blueberry species but more common on your side of the border. (I am in Central BC). They are much smaller than a commercial blueberry but have a more intense flavour.

    Check out this link for all the blueberry species in the Pacific Northwest. Scroll through the map to find your exact location. If you click on dots it will give you precise locations. https://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/DB_Query/QueryForm.aspx?hfl=1&f=1&Genus=Vaccinium&lifeform=0&Thumbs=Y

    This is the link to the main search page. https://ibis.geog.ubc.ca/biodiversity/eflora/ Where it says "Browse" you can choose from Species, Genera or Families for a search. This is an awesome, interactive resource for anyone living in the Pacific Northwest or some other areas. I should say that these maps may not show all of the locations of all species; some plants might be much more common than indicated on the maps. Most species have a picture gallery so you can see them in different stages or from different angles.

  • Nicoleburba
    Nicoleburba Posts: 58 ✭✭✭

    I am so happy, I have learned from you that I can plant blueberries in a pot. I will definitely do this, and I will have my own blueberries!!!

  • dipat2005
    dipat2005 Posts: 1,289 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I had never heard of bilberries either. They certainly look like blueberries and it is great to learn a bit about them. I loved growing blueberries. We had to throw nets (for birds) on them several years. In the fall I would prune them a bit by hand and it seemed to help some. The berries were quite large some years and not so large other years. The blueberry bushes we had were nursery stock and were more than 30 years old. Most years they produced very well.

  • KimWilson
    KimWilson Posts: 197 ✭✭✭

    Do blueberries always take 5 or so years to produce? I am delighted to hear that they can be grown in containers. Hopefully I can get some started.

  • MissPatricia
    MissPatricia Posts: 318 ✭✭✭

    You will get some blueberries the third year, more the fourths and a lot more the fifth, usually. It seems that my blueberries are not producing well this year. So far, I've picked (my husband has picked) about 9 quarts, which is not a lot for 20 or so bushes. Blueberries do need lots of sun and some occasional pruning, which I have not been able to do the last two years. I plant them in my ground, not in pots. I plan to increase my plantings this year.

  • VermontCathy
    VermontCathy Posts: 1,987 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Leediafastje "You may either have a lack of sun or lack of prunning problem. Or, you may need to try a different variety of blueberry."

    My tiny little plants are too small for pruning, but you could be right about lack of sun. This area is heavily wooded, and the vegetable garden is in the sunny spots. I suppose I could move the blueberries away from the little water drainage channel out into the middle of the back yard, which would give it a bit more hours of direct sun each day.

    I planted a range of different varieties for pollination and to see what worked best in zone 4.

  • Sheila
    Sheila Posts: 108 ✭✭✭

    I need to try blueberries again - my dog kept eating them when she was younger. Didn't matter if they were fenced, caged or surrounded by barbed wire - she would find a way in! Ate the leaves, twigs and everything down to the ground. It's been a few years and so may be safe to try again :)

  • Nancy Carter
    Nancy Carter Posts: 202 ✭✭✭

    How do you prune a blueberry bush properly?

  • dalans
    dalans Posts: 35 ✭✭✭

    I have been wanting to plant some blueberries. Does anyone have a favorite type? Or does it depend more on where you live as to what type you plant?

  • jowitt.europe
    jowitt.europe Posts: 1,465 admin

    @dipat2005 our forests (Austrian Alps) are full of bilberries. They also grow high up, where there are no trees. I pick them in the wild every year. I am not sure whether one can cultivate them. Never heard of that. The difference from blueberry is that the juice paints hands, tongue, mouth blue/purple. The taste is also different. Very intensive. Bilberry Jam is my favourite one. I do not mind being all blue - it’s the colour of the season 😊 Bilberry is very healthy. The blue is a result of anthocyanins. It is an Antioxidant. Extremely good for the eyes. Reduces inflammations. Bilberry leaves help by diarrhoea. I have read that berries strengthen the bladder- very helpful for women who suffer from blade infections. During bilberry season I eat a lot as prevention and as a means of strengthening my eye sight and my bladder.